High Water

We have been struck by a prolonged bout of rain here in NZ. The whole country has copped it, but there has been a lot of flooding in Eastern and Northern Otago. Not great conditions to go out in, but there are still pictures to be made, so I forced myself off the couch to go and get some just to prove I could.


I found a bunch of contractors dealing with a little bit of surface flooding in the city and staked them out for a while, hoping for a little drama but to be honest, there was just a lot of talking and pointing going on. In wet weather, patterns and reflections in the water are always a good standby, so I got something from the raindrops on the water and the reflection of their truck lights before heading home to the fire. The light was poor, and the rain was miserable (light rather than torrential and exciting) so I found the challenge of making a decent shot quite instructive.

Subsequently, I have ordered a new Matin rain jacket for my camera, and a good waterproof hat.

Collaborative efforts

I just love this internet thing.  It lets us collaborate around the globe, almost instantly.  I want to draw your attention to one of my other collaborators, a man from Chicago (one of my favourite cities) who goes by the title Professor Kliq.  I've used his music for slide shows of my pictures before.  Now I'm happy to say that we're going to be collaborating on a TV series I'll be writing.  Right now I'm digging his "Scientific Method II" album. 

The Professor releases much of his stuff via a creative commons licence, free to download from his website.  Do yourself a favour and get some before he's really huge and only Peter Jackson can afford him.

The Sweeney

I want to welcome a great new talent to the blogosphere: Nik Sweeney.  When I say new, that's only to blogospace.  Nik and I have played music together, and not only is he a subtle, dynamic and thoughtful drummer, he's a true visual branding talent.  Now that he's started The Deep End blog, I expect him to achieve guru status within a couple of posts.  If you're interested in the magic, science and power of visual communication, I commend his wit and wisdom to you.  There'll be a permanent link on my blogroll to the right.

Jules Lund on Tourism New Zealand

OK, here's the link to the finished TNZ promotion.  You can see all the clips of our photour of the lower South Island, and some of the pictures we all took along the way.  Enjoy!

Tourism New Zealand

I'm considering signing up for a new TV project that could keep me pretty busy for a few months.  Much as I love photography and am pretty much over TV employment, it's about a subject close to my heart and a way to earn money for more camera equipment.  I'll know more after a meeting this week but am going to do my best not to let it impact on what I'm doing here.  Stay tuned.

Otago Peninsula to Stewart Island

Here's the second leg of the Jules Lund Photour.  Directed by the fabulous Anna Thomas, music from Dunedinmusic.com.   Enjoy!

Keeping Dry On The Cheap

I'll admit it, I'm parsimonious.  Canny.  Tight-fisted.  Cheap.  So while I was helping Mrs C. pack about two hundred bags for a confernce recently, I saw an opportunity.  Each bag came individually wrapped in plastic which I was already feeling guilty about having to bin.  But inside the packaging was something I could recycle: three or four small packets of silica gel.  Not much in itself, but when you collect about 700 of the things, you've got a decent pile.

Unfortunately the sugar-sachet sized packets are just made of paper and rupture easily, so it's impractical to just dump a handful in my camera bag.  To the rescue comes Mrs C with an uwanted pair of pantyhose.  I cut them up, filled 'em with silica packets and hot glued em closed.  Now I've got a bunch of large silica gel sachets to keep my gear nice and arid.  I just have to microwave them now and then to drive the moisture out. 

Saving the planet, one exposure at a time.

The Final Cut

Heather from Tourism Dunedin informed me today that the final cuts of the Jules Lund Photour videos are up at last. Here's number two. Mrs C. says I don't look like a complete geek. I know she's just being nice.



Things are going well for the photography, and I'm about to start a coffee table book on Otago business soon. But just when it looks like I'm out of making science TV, it threatens to pull me back in. Flying to Auckland next week to talk about writing and maybe directing a series. We shall see.